opposing Sexist Violencepromoting Equal Rights honouring the Victims

Archive for Young Victims

Died 26th October 2016

Tahmina Khayer (17), a college student, died by suicide on October 26 2016 on the railway tracks at East Worthing Station.

Tahmina lived in Ham Road, Worthing, West Sussex.

The inquest, held on 22nd May 2017, at Crawley Coroner’s Court , heard that Tahmina had suffered abuse by her brother, Mahfouz. West Sussex senior coroner Penelope Schofield recorded a verdict of suicide and concluded Tahmina appeared to feel “she had no way out other than to take her own life”.

The coroner said: “I don’t think anyone here can think of this as anything other than a tragedy.
It was clear she was suffering abuse from her brother Mahfouz, who was clearly mentally ill.”

The Coroner said “Failings in the system caused unnecessary delays to getting her help.” She added “Tahmina was crying out for help for a very long period of time and it will never be known whether an earlier intervention would have stopped her death.”

The Coroner commented “Tahmina appears to always have put others before herself as in the note she left behind, she asked for some of her own savings to be given to charity.” She expressed her condolences to the family.

The inquest heard that Ms Khayer’s brother had had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and Sussex Police had attended the family’s home on a number of occasions to deal with reports of disturbances.

PC Billy Burstow, of the British Transport Police, read a statement to the court from Tahmina’s sister Tashlima Khayer, in which she said: “My sister loved to be creative and draw all day or go skateboarding and spend time with her friends. She wasn’t given help and support and this was a lot of responsibility for her, being so young.”

by Jean Calder

The 1993 racist murder of Black London teenager Stephen Lawrence was followed by a bungled police investigation. This led to a high profile campaign by the Lawrence family and a public inquiry by Sir William Macpherson in 1998. What emerged was that police investigating the murder had stereotyped the young Black victim, failed to gather evidence and proceeded on the assumption that he or his companion must have acted improperly or illegally. The police could or would not recognise racist assault. Macpherson’s eventual finding that the Metropolitan Police was “institutionally racist” sent a depth-charge through British policing and led to changes in national policing policies and practice.

Over the years there have been improvements in police attitudes to race and racist crime. Hate-crime laws have provided some protection to minority ethnic groups as well as several other groups subject to discrimination – and have enforced a change of attitudes.

However, one group of people hate crime legislation does not protect, despite the discrimination and targeted violence they face, is women. As a consequence, there is little recognition of the need to address institutional sexism within the police and the way in which it may impact upon the investigation of crimes targeted at women. The tragic death of Shana Grice provides a stark example.

Shana Grice, a white nineteen-year-old living in Portslade, on the outskirts of Brighton & Hove, was murdered on 25th August 2016. She had had a brief relationship with Michael Lane, a mechanic and former work colleague. He was physically larger and heavier than Shana and, at 27, a lot older. When she rejected him, he harassed and stalked her mercilessly. When it became clear he would not be able to bully her back into a relationship, he slit her throat, disabled fire alarms in her flat and set light to her body. Immediately after he killed her, he stole cash from her bank account and then went to check his lottery ticket. He had told a friend “She’ll pay for what she’s done.”

Shana was a courageous young woman who had reported Lane’s behaviour to family, friends and an employer – and had repeatedly complained to the police, at least five times in the last seven months of her life. The police failed either to take her seriously or to protect her. In fact, when Shana reported Lane had assaulted her by pulling her hair and trying to grab her phone, the police fined her, blaming her for wasting police time and “making a false report”. No action was taken against Lane.

Thereafter Lane followed Shana, fitted a tracker on her car, publicly humiliated her, slashed her tyres, and intimidated her with anonymous calls. In the month before he killed her, Lane stole her keys and broke into her bedroom to watch her sleep. He admitted what he had done, but instead of charging him, the police issued a Caution. The next day Shana reported several calls from a withheld number, including one with heavy breathing, but the police told her there were no further lines of inquiry and the case would be left on file. Two days later she told the police Lane had followed her, but the police deemed the incident “low risk” – despite it being well known that the most dangerous time for an abused woman is when she flees a relationship.

The jury took just two hours and twenty minutes to find Lane guilty. Sentencing him to Life in prison with a minimum of 25 years, Judge Nicholas Green said he had no doubt the killing was premeditated and carried out in revenge. He went on to severely criticise Sussex Police, saying of Shana “..tragically when she sought help from the police she received none.” In a fascinating echo of the Macpherson report, he said that the police had “stereotyped” Shana Grice, when she reported Lane, treating her as a “wrongdoer” and Michael Lane as a “victim”.

The Judge stated “there was seemingly no appreciation on the part of those investigating that a young woman in a sexual relationship with a man could at one and the same time be vulnerable and at risk of serious harm.” He commented that the police’s position had had three “potentially serious consequences”, namely: that the police treated all further complaints with “scepticism”; that Shana Grice was reluctant to report further incidents; and that Lane believed it “most unlikely” that the police would do anything to stop him if he continued.

Shana’s grieving mother Sharon Grice said: “We firmly believe her murder could have been avoided if her fears had been taken seriously by police. Michael Lane had been harassing, stalking and pressurising her for over a year. Her life became a nightmare which we believe had affected her mental and physical health.”

There will be the usual investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). It may well add to the long list of IPCC reports highlighting police failures in respect of stalking and domestic homicide. It is to the credit of Bernie O’Reilly, Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex Police, that he has already apologised to the family. However, there is no reason why the public should take on trust his assurance that “We have thoroughly reviewed all aspects of how we deal with cases of stalking and harassment and we have now taken on the learning and our approach is more robust.” Police Commissioner, Katy Bourne’s call for a full review of all stalking cases in Sussex is therefore necessary and welcome. However, it is not enough.

This is not just an issue about stalking – or sexual assault, domestic homicide, or any other of the crimes of which women are the usual victims – but about police attitudes to women. The question to be addressed is to what extent sexist prejudice within Sussex Police force may have protected the abuser and exposed his victim to further attack.

Lane terrorised and then murdered Shana, finally desecrating her body by fire. His offences were rooted in sexism, revealing an obsessive desire for control over this very young woman and a deadly refusal to accept rejection. He lied repeatedly, persuading the police that he was not an abuser, but the victim of an unfaithful girlfriend who made malicious and false allegations against him. It is what some weary domestic violence workers call the “slag defence”, where a male perpetrator avoids detection, a finding of guilt or an adequate sentence, by appealing to prejudices about women. Defence lawyers use it in homicide trials, where the reputations of dead women are regularly trashed, to the immense distress of their loved ones.

Sussex Police do need to get their policies and procedures right, but unless they confront the sexism and prejudice within their force, amongst male and female officers alike, poor practice will continue – and there will be many more victims.

I hope that Shana Grice’s courageous family will call for a public inquiry into her death and the role that institutional sexism and associated neglect may have played in it.

Died 19th March 2016

Paige Doherty (15), a schoolgirl from Clydebank, Scotland died on 19th March 2016. Her body was found in woodlands on the Great Western Road on 21st March 2016.

In September 2016, at the High Court in Glasgow, John Leathem (32) admitted her murder.

Paige had more than 140 injuries and been stabbed 61 times, including 43 wounds to her head and neck, and 85 further cuts – many of them described as “defensive in nature”.

Paige, who was described by police as “vibrant” and “bright”, was last seen on the morning of Saturday 19th March at a Clydebank shop, the Delicious Deli, owned by Leathem. She had gone into the delicatessen to buy a roll before travelling to a hairdressers where she worked in Kirkintilloch.

Judge Lady Rae said: “This was a savage, frenzied attack on a child.”

The court heard a number of victim impact statements from Paige’s family. Her mother Pamela Munro revealed she continues to suffer “sleeplessness and nightmares”. Prosecutor Mr McSporran said: “She describes waking to hear her daughter’s screams and the awful realisation that she was not there to help her.” Her husband Andrew Munro, Paige’s step-father, was said to be “living in a state of depression”. The advocate depute added: “They cannot get out of their minds the terror they believe Paige must have experienced as the attack upon her began.”

Following the hearing, Detective Superintendent Duncan Sloan, who led the inquiry, said CCTV footage had been “vital”. He said “I am sure that the sheer weight of this evidence has led to the guilty plea at court today.” He added: “Our thoughts remain with Paige’s family, whose vibrant, bright young daughter has been cruelly taken away from them at just 15 years of age. Paige’s whole future lay ahead of her and her life has been brutally cut short by the vicious actions of one man.”

Died 23rd August 2016

Mia Ayliffe-Chung (21), a British woman, originally from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, died on 23rd August 2016. She was stabbed to death at Shelley’s Backpackers Hostel in Home Hill, near Townsville, in Queensland, Australia. She was on a three month visit.

Smail Ayad (29), a French national, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and twelve counts of serious assault. Several people were injured, but Ms Ayliffe-Chung was reported to be the primary target.

Ayad is reported to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack, but police have indicated this was not a terrorist attack. They suggest Ayad had made advances to Ms Ayliffe-Chung which she had rejected.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung went to Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth before going to Chesterfield College to study psychology and communication and culture. She later went to Buxton and Leek College to study childcare.

Her mother Rosie Ayliffe said “She was an outstanding friend to many, and dearly loved by the children of our community. Her feisty nature and strong sense of justice made Mia a beloved friend to her peers and to all who knew her.”

Paul Lovatt, head of pastoral care at Anthony Gell School, remembered her as “enriching the school environment”.

Found Dead 25th August 2016.

Shana Grice (19) was found dead on 25th August 2016 at her home in Portslade, near Brighton & Hove, East Sussex.

Michael Lane (27) of Thornhill Rise, Portslade, was charged with her murder on 2nd September.

Ms Grice’s parents referred to her as a “kind thoughtful, caring daughter”. Sharon Grice and Richard Green, from Hove, described her as “our beautiful girl… who always thought of others”.

Shana Grice worked in the accounts department of Palmer and Harvey, a company in Hove. The alarm was raised after she failed to turn up for work. Director Brian Hurley said everyone was “extremely shocked and saddened” to hear of her death. He added “Whilst Shana only worked with us for a few months, she was a very well-liked and popular member of the Palmer and Harvey family.”

Sussex Police reported that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) had been notified of Ms Grice’s death as police had previously had contact with Ms Grice and “other people”. There have been reports that, prior to her death, someone may have been stalking Ms Grice.

Died 30th January 2016

India Chipchase (20) was murdered in Northampton on 30th January 2016. She was strangled to death and had been raped. She was found to have sixty injuries on her body.

Ms Chipchase was a popular young woman and worked as a barmaid. She was described as a “vibrant” young woman with great potential.

In August 2016, Edward Tenniswood (52) was convicted of her murder.

On the evening before her death, Ms Chipchase was in a distressed state and became very inebriated at a nightclub. She was heard to repeatedly tell a bouncer: “I just want to go home.” She was put into a taxi by security, but got out when she was asked to pay the fare in advance. As she leaned against a wall, a witness heard Tenniswood say “we’ll make sure we’ll get you home in a taxi, safely”. He took her to his own house.

In court, he insulted her by suggesting she had consented to strangulation and had even suggested it. The jury did not believe him.

The court also heard from another woman who reported being pinned to a wall by Tenniswood, who held her by the throat and tried to kiss her.

Note: This report was drawn from reports in the Times and Daily Telegraph.

Found Dead 15th April 2016

Elizabeth Edwards (49) and her daughter Katie (13) were found dead at their home in Dawson Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire on Friday 15th April 2016.

Two 14 year old youths have been charged with their murder.

Ms Spalding worked at a local primary school. A neighbour is reported to have described her as “a lovely lady, very friendly” and “quite well-known because she worked at a primary school”. Katie was described as”lovely too but very quiet.”

DCI Martin Holvey, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, is heading the investigation. He has called for information about the period from around noon on Wednesday 13th April to noon on Friday 15th April.

Superintendent Paul Timmins said: “I would like to make clear that this type of crime is extremely rare. Indeed, we believe this is a completely isolated incident.”

Found Dead 21st March 2016

Paige Doherty (15), a schoolgirl from Glasgow, Scotland was found dead on 21st March 2016. She was last seen on the morning of Saturday 19th March at a Clydebank shop, the Delicious Deli. She was on her way to weekend work in a hairdressing salon in Glasgow City Centre.

Her body was found in woodlands on the Great Western Road less than a mile from where she was last seen. Unconfirmed reports suggest she died of stab wounds.

Her mother Pamela Munro made a plea for public help. Ms Munro said: “We are absolutely devastated that we have lost our beautiful little girl and would appeal for anyone with information to come forward and bring justice for Paige.”

Detective Superintendent Duncan Sloan of Police Scotland is leading the investigation.

On 23rd March there were newspaper reports that Facebook images of a weapon had been posted showing a boy allegedly confessing to the murder. The same boy had allegedly telephoned girls to suggest or boast that he was the killer.

Found Dead 13th March 2015

Janet Muller (21), from Eastbourne, East Sussex was found dead on 13th March 2015 in Rusper Road, near Ifield Golf Club, Horsham, West Sussex in the boot of a burned-out car. She had died of smoke inhalation.

Christopher Jeffrey-Shaw (26) of Beckenham, London, has been charged with her murder.

Ms Muller was a student at Brighton University. She was reporting missing from Mill View Hospital in Nevill Avenue, Hove the day before she was found dead.

Firefighters found Ms Muller’s body in a badly-burned Volkswagen Jetta, which had been dumped in a road by Ifield Golf Club near Horsham, West Sussex.

Detective Chief Inspector Karen Mizzi, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: “Specially trained officers are supporting Janet’s family at this extremely difficult time. Although we have charged a man with murder, I am appealing for information from anyone who may have seen Janet on Thursday night 12th of March.”

For Our Daughters received the following heart-felt email from Barbarina on 19th March 2015 and we thought it important to publish it. Though this dreadful death is now receiving more publicity, we still know very little about Janet Muller.

We hope it may be of comfort to Janet Muller’s bereaved family and friends to know that strangers are thinking of her.

We would be happy to publish tributes to her.

Dear forourdaughters,

I may be speaking out of place, as I realise the police maybe keeping information out of the media for a reason. However, I am distressed to see so little coverage about 21 year old Janet Muller, a Brighton university student, whose body was found in a burnt out car.

How can this not be National news? I get the feeling that it maybe being treated as a ‘domestic’ incident.

There are no references to her family or anyone sending condolences like they would normally do for a human being?

I am not looking for a reply. I didnt know her at all. As a mother, I just feel so very sad about this and I just want to voice this. Your site is the only place.

Died 6th November 2014

Cerys Yemm (22) from Blackwood was murdered on 6th November 2014 at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel, Argoed, Caerphilly, South Wales.

Ms Yemm was killed by Matthew Williams (34). Security staff at the hotel reportedly found her terribly injured and cannibalised with the killer eating her face.

After the police were called Williams was tasered and died while under arrest. Ms Yemm was later pronounced dead.

Ms Yemm was a popular young woman, a well known shopworker who worked at Next.

It seems she had met Williams in a pub hours before her death where he was heard to offer to get her a taxi home. Williams had been released from prison two weeks earlier after serving less than half of a 5 year sentence for attacking his former partner,
Emma Thomas.

He was it seems not subject to any probation service monitoring, despite the fact his former parter lived close by and could have been at risk.

He had a reputation for violence and there were reports he may have been high on drugs.

Ms Thomas said: “He made my life hell. I’ve had nothing to do with him since we broke up more than two years ago. It is a terrible shock and I’m very sad that this has happened.”

The Sirhowy Arms Hotel is a halfway house for ex-offenders.

Note: This report was drawn from reports in the Daily Mail and the BBC.

FOD Comment:

Ms Yemm’s terrible death is not being investigated by the IPCC, despite the fact that Williams was an unsupervised violent offender and known to be a danger to women. In addition, it seems a single female police officer was sent to this extraordinarily violent incident.

Williams death in police custody is however under investigation by the IPCC.

Found Dead 27th October 2014

Duksha Lad (44) and her daughters, Trisha Lad (19) and Nisha Lad (17) were found dead on 27th October 2014 at home in Blackberry Way, Clayton, Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Ms Lad worked in a clerical capacity for Bradford City Council. Trisha was studying medical biochemistry at the University of Leeds and Nisha had just completed her GCSEs at Thornton Grammar School, which Trisha had also attended.

Jatindra Lad (49), Ms Lad’s husband and the girls’ father, is believed to have murdered them before hanging himself. Lad also worked for Bradford council.

Police have launched a murder investigation, but said they are not looking for anybody else in relation to the deaths. Officers were called to the house after they were contacted by a neighbour who was concerned that they had not seen the family for some time.
Police said early indications suggest the bodies may have been in the property “for some time”.

Neighbours said the family were last seen on Friday when they were celebrating Diwali.

Chris Sampson, head teacher of Thornton Grammar School said the school was “shocked and deeply saddened”.

Jessica Garside, a friend of Trisha, said: “She was so lovely. She always had a bright smile on her face. She was always happy.” She added: “Even when I saw her round school she would always smile and say hello and check I’m all right.” She went on: “She’ll be missed dearly. I see pictures on Facebook of her going out in her uni life and she looks happy and now we don’t know what’s happened to her. I just hope there’s a god out there looking after her.”

Councillor David Green, leader of the local authority, said: “Local people are shocked and saddened by the news of this terrible event and our sympathy goes out to the wider family, friends and neighbours of this family. The husband and wife of the family… both worked for Bradford Council and councillors and employees are very upset after hearing the dreadful news of their deaths. Obviously, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage as the investigation into how it happened is continuing, but we would urge anyone who may have any information about this tragedy to contact the police immediately.”
Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, from West Yorkshire Police’s Protective Services , said: “This is clearly a significant incident and our investigation will be thorough as we piece together the events that have led to the deaths of a local family. The investigation is at an early stage, and while I do not want to speculate around the circumstances leading to the deaths, I am happy to confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.”

Superintendent Damien Miller said: “Clayton is a close-knit community and I understand that local people will be understandably upset by what has taken place and I would like to reassure people there is no wider danger to members of the public. Additional neighbourhood officers are in the area speaking to people and offering reassurance.”

Note: This report was drawn from reports in the Huffington Post and the Daily Mail.

FOD Comment: As is usual in co-called murder suicides the media have focussed on and provided more information about the presumed killer than about his victims, especially Duksha Lad. We have learned that Ms Lad’s killer was a “watersports fanatic” and chairman of the Friends of Thornton Grammar school, where “his daughters” Nisha and Trisha studied. Once again the police have treated this as a private ‘tragedy’ and have reassured the public that there is no “wider danger” to the public. The comments of Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, from West Yorkshire Police’s Protective Services (Crime), were particularly crass. He spoke of the “deaths of a local family” rather than the killing of three women. He called it a “significant incident” rather than an outrage or a dreadful crime. He went on to say “ I am happy (sic) to confirm that we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.”

The police really need to do better than this. They should acknowledge that domestic violence – including homicide – is widespread and that threats by abusers to kill both women and their children are far from rare. Many abusers use murders like this to further terrorise their victims. Police should reflect this in their public statements, publicise the national domestic violence helpline number and invite anyone experiencing domestic violence or threats to seek assistance.

Died 12th October 2014.

Marta Galikowska (27) and her daughters Maja (5) and Olga (1) were found dead in a house in Sherwin Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 12th October 2014. Marta Galikowska, Maja Galikowska and Olga Galikowska were believed to have moved to the area from Poland.

Staffordshire Police said a man, aged 27, was arrested at the scene. His relationship to the woman and girls has not been confirmed.

Chief Superintendent Martin Evans said: “Our investigation into this terrible incident continues. We must stress the need for the public and media to refrain from speculating.

Detectives are working hard to understand how these lives came to be lost. We understand the shock and sadness neighbours and local residents are feeling. We need time and some patience to establish the facts. The level of detail of the examination at the house is vital to piecing together what happened. This work will include support from a forensic pathologist.”

CS Evans said officers would also be speaking to neighbours, family and friends as part of their investigation. Members of Ms Galikowska’s family are being supported by family liaison officers.

A police spokesperson said “Local officers and police community support officers remain in the area providing reassurance to the community who are understandably shocked by this tragic incident,”